Explained: Why Kane Williamson isn't part of New Zealand's squad for ODI series vs India

On December 23, New Zealand announced a second-string squad for the ODI series against India next month. Michael Bracewell will be leading the side while several prominent players are missing from the lineup due to their franchise commitments. This has robbed fans from an opportunity to see Kane Williamson on Indian soil in an ODI series.

Williamson was not initially picked by any franchise in the SA20 auction. He walked in as a replacement for Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. He will represent Durban Super Giants, a subsidiary of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The former New Zealand captain is also LSG's strategic advisor. Hence, he did not put his name in the IPL 2026 mini-auction.

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Williamson’s performances in home summer

Williamson has signed a casual contract with the New Zealand Cricket (NZC). That is why he has been able to skip series. Retired from T20Is, the veteran batter recently played in the three-Test series against West Indies at home and scored 185 runs from six innings. Before that, he played in the ODI series against England at home, registering scores of 21 and 0.

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Williamson passes up on big opportunity

Williamson will miss out on breaking Ross Taylor's record for most ODI runs by a New Zealand batter against India. Taylor has 1,385 runs from 34 innings at an average of 47.75, including three centuries and eight fifties. Williamson is not far behind with 1,239 runs from 30 innings at an average of 44.25. He has only one century but 11 fifties in the format against India.

Injury, workload concerns for New Zealand

Bracewell will be leading New Zealand in ODIs as Mitchell Santner's groin injury is being managed ahead of T20 World Cup 2026. Santner will be back for the five-T20I series against India, starting on January 21. Matt Henry will miss the ODIs too as he continues rehabilitation after a calf tear. Meanwhile, batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra and an in-form pacer Jacob Duffy have been rested.

New Zealand’s ODI squad for India tour -

Michael Bracewell (c), Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay (wk), Kule Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young.